For a better understanding of the invention, the elements and terms herein used are now set forth.
As it is well known, a mattress mainly includes a body, generally rectangular in shape, sandwiched between a covering consisting of an upper and a lower panel seamed together by stitching a peripheral band.
Each panel includes two fabrics with a padding material in between, herein after called “padding”.
The padding is integral with the two fabrics by means of stitching operations called quilting, from which the term “quilted panel” originates.
Between two quilted portions such panels may be 2-8 cm. thick.
The mattress body may be made of different materials and in a number of configurations, for example, making use of a set of springs, some inflatable members or a block of cellular resilient material, such as a resilient foam provided with recesses, for example natural or synthetic latex foam.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,746 describes a mattress including a polyurethane foam body sandwichable between two quilted panels joined together by a peripheral band extending only on three sides, the fourth side being provided with a zip to allow the polyurethane foam body to be inserted and pulled out.
The body includes tapered openings obtained by means of a cutting device provided with rollers rotating each in an opposite direction and with a cutting blade.
Each panel is made as stated above.
The padding material of each panel consists of polyester cotton batting joined to the two panel fabrics by means of a suitable localized quilting.
In a cross section, the panel is a double wave with juxtaposed folds due to the stitching of the two fabrics.
It should be noted that, besides being comfortable for the user, a mattress should ensure, through a quick passage of the air, the evaporation of moisture collected during the user's sleep.
In fact, sweat absorbed by the mattress materials is believed to reach 0.3-0.8 litre per night.
Generally air can easily pass through the mattress body, as it is apparent, for sake of simplicity, when thinking of a spring mattress; however such favourable passing-through of the air completely depends on the resistance the air encounters when going through the quilted panels.
The prior art quilted panels may include, as seen, polyester cotton batting or in other embodiments, curled hair, wool and synthetic carded fibres, cotton fibres, coir or a combination thereof and also other materials known on the market.
Unfortunately the approaches known are not satisfactory as for transpiration.
Generally the prior art quilted panel presses under the user's weight packing the material which results in poor aeration of the mattress and in keeping most of the moisture collected during the night.
The goal of the present invention is to provide a mattress including at least one quilted panel, preferably the one the user lies on, whose padding material is able to improve the mattress transpiration as a whole.